


Just One Drink

by NoctIsFishing



Category: Digimon Adventure, Digimon Adventure tri.
Genre: Adults, F/M, Internal Conflict, Not Canon Compliant, One Night Stands, Or Is It?, Romance, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-21
Updated: 2020-11-14
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:40:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,131
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24301483
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NoctIsFishing/pseuds/NoctIsFishing
Summary: Sora had just moved into town, her sights set on starting fresh. She went to the bar one night in the mood to treat herself, but after meeting Taichi, she knew that just one drink wasn't enough to satisfy her..
Relationships: Takenouchi Sora/Yagami Taichi | Tai Kamiya
Comments: 16
Kudos: 27





	1. Just One Drink

**Author's Note:**

> Slow.. sensual.. indulgence. Drink this up.

At the start of her new life, the first thing Sora wanted was a drink.

She sat in a bar, one that her new neighbor recommended to her when she first moved into her apartment earlier that week. She felt a little irresponsible given that she decided to drink on a Sunday night, but she had been waiting for this drink all weekend, and she decided to wait to have one until after she unpacked all of her boxes. It was a sort of treat in her eyes -- a declaration for her decision of moving away from home.

It wasn't as though she hated being at home. She loved her parents despite clashing with her mom sometimes, and she loved her friends just as dearly. But moving away gave her the opportunity for a fresh beginning, a life she chose to live on her own and not on the expectations of those around her, and a life where she didn't have to worry for anyone else but herself.

"Make up your mind yet?" asked the bartender once he checked on her.

"How about something sweet?” Sora decided. “But make sure it's strong."

"Ah, sounds just my type."

Sora turned to the new voice at the bar. He sat two chairs away, his brown mop of hair and his lopsided smile first catching her attention.

Not that she wanted to admit it. She shifted her eyes elsewhere, seeing the bartender preparing her drink in her line of sight. She noted the bottle of a fruity liqueur, but with the bottle of rum placed beside it, Sora knew that she could trust this bartender with whatever he whipped up for her.

The brown eyes didn’t stop staring. Sora looked in his direction to meet them again. He lifted his pint glass of golden liquid to his lips. She had never met him, but she knew what he was doing: he was waiting for her to approach him. It was like a game he was hoping that she’d play along with him.

She thought about ignoring him. She was picky, but there were a few times she played that game, the last time long enough to evolve into her longest relationship. But with her luck, they all ended the same way: with just another loss and another fracture in her heart. Sora was sick of her losing streak.

“Here you have it - The House Special,” said the bartender, setting a short glass with light orange liquid, topped with a thin red straw. “Welcome to the neighborhood.”

“Hey, no wonder I haven’t seen you before,” said the curiously staring patron. “You’re new here.”

“So I am,” Sora replied, trying to avoid his interest from her. She took a sip of the drink, feeling the hint of sweetness mixed with the cool burn of the rum down her throat. The drink was perfect.

“Did you just move here?” the guy asked, and Sora noticed they were now one chair apart instead of two.

“What makes you say that? I could just be visiting this town. The bartender knew it was my first time here.”

“Well, a lady isn’t going to walk into a bar alone if she was ‘just visiting’ on a Sunday night.”

“Maybe so, but she would if she felt like it.”

She stared in front of her while she took another sip, but she could see him laughing from the corner of her eyes. She could tell her sarcasm amused him.

“An area like Jiyugaoka is an odd place to move to,” he said. “It’s not as crowded and lively as it is in other places in Tokyo.”

“Anywhere’s better than Odaiba,” Sora muttered but instantly regretted it. She had been trying to conceal as much as possible about herself from this stranger. But-

“Odaiba? That’s where I’m from!’

“What? No way!” Sora was now looking at him, studying his facial features that were growing more familiar the longer she stared. “Did you go to Odaiba High School?”

“I was on the soccer team!”

“Oh, yeah -- the hair! Everyone knew you by your hair.”

His face fell at her reaction. “Well, yeah... but I was the team’s ace, you know. Everyone remembers me as the best on the team.”

“...It was definitely your hair.” Sora giggled with the scowl on his face and took another swig of her drink. “What was your name? Ya… Yami…?”

“Yagami. Taichi Yagami.”

When Sora turned to him, he wore a smile on his face that looked sincere, and he held his hand out in greeting.

That smile looked good on him.

“Sora Takenouchi.” They shook hands, and Sora was the first to loosen her grip and take hers back.

“The name sounds familiar…” Taichi said, studying her face. “Were you on the tennis team?”

“For a year and a half. I dropped out of it in the middle of second year.”

“I remember the team was doing really awesome the first half that year.”

“Yeah…”

“And you quit because…?”

“I just lost interest,” she replied dryly, with the next sip of her drink seeming perfectly timed. Tennis was her next favorite thing after soccer, which was what she had been forbidden to do in the first place. And then, to be forced to give up tennis to join the family festivities for _ikebana_ …

Sora noticed then that Taichi was watching her curiously, possibly with a look of concern. She needed to change the subject. She didn’t want anyone’s pity tonight.

“I guess you didn’t move too far from Odaiba, either,” she added with intent to draw attention away from her troubles.

“Yup. It’s far enough here to be out on my own. Everyone’s busy nowadays, but it’s not hard for someone from home to come visit sometime on the weekend.”

 _I should have moved further away from home,_ she thought.

“...You okay?” Taichi asked with a clearer look of concern.

She must have fallen into her own thoughts again. Getting out of Odaiba was her first step in freedom, but getting out of her new apartment and going to the bar was meant to keep her mind away from the thoughts that troubled her. _It’s just not working,_ she thought to herself as she looked down at her drink-- _her drink._

“I guess the rum is getting to my head faster than I wanted,” Sora said with a laugh, lying once again. “You know how that goes.”

“You seem like a woman that could hold her alcohol well, so I’m surprised.”

Her brows furrowed. "What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

Sora listened to whatever reasoning Taichi came up with so that she could argue back. He seemed to always have a comeback response, but she kept their banter going. 

The bar began to fill up, and with more people taking the seats around them, Taichi gave up his seat for another customer which brought him to the seat right next to Sora's. Sora hardly paid attention to her surroundings, given that there was still the back and forth chatter between her and Taichi. He even made some stupid jokes that made her laugh harder then she thought she would. As cavalier as he seemed, she wouldn't have minded how long their conversation would go on.

Her face fell the moment she realized she was down to the final sip of her drink. She promised herself only one drink - one drink to celebrate her freedom, and then it was time to go home and get ready for the week ahead.

"You sure you don't want another?" Taichi asked. "It'll be on me."

"I shouldn't trouble you with that, Taichi. I probably should head home, anyway…"

"How far do you live from here? Let me walk you home."

"I can walk on my own."

"I can't let you do that."

Sora raised her brow, surprised that he wasn’t being self-centered. “Are you worried about me? A total stranger?”

“I’d say that I am. But, I like talking to you. You're very easy to talk to.”

She wasn’t sure if she liked where this was going. Was he trying to move closer to her? So he _was_ trying to get closer to her all along. The taste in her mouth was bitter with the thought. “Heh, I’m sure you say that a lot.”

“Well… I just think you’re different.”

“Doesn’t that make you the same?” she asked, releasing the bitterness in her tone as she moved forward and kept her gaze on him.. She was curious to see his reaction, in which he seemed taken aback, but he couldn't seem to take his eyes off of her.

“I mean, you could say we’re strangers, Sora,” he said, his voice getting softer, the sound of her name on his lips giving her an odd sensation of chills. “But you could also say we’ve gotten close pretty quickly…”

That was when Sora realized how close she actually was to Taichi. He hadn’t moved at all. _She_ was the one who crossed over to _him._

Maybe it wasn’t the drink she went to the bar for, after all. She needed a distraction, a _real_ distraction from moving away from home, where she quit the life her mother wanted her to lead; where she cut off her now ex-boyfriend from her life after he broke up with her without a warning. At that point, she wanted Taichi. The drink was a plus. 

Her hands felt the roughness of his fingers, which she noticed how gentle his touch was when they first shook hands. Her nose was inches away from his, his lips inviting her to move even closer, and his eyes enticing -- perhaps she tasted the bitterness of the rum, as it truly was getting to her head.

She wanted to sit up straight and push herself away from him. Getting even closer to him seemed like a dangerous idea. But she couldn’t avoid the muscles in his arms as she grabbed onto them for support, nor could she ignore the whiff of his cologne as she moved away. His eyes were brown and showed his kindness, or some kind of fire, something genuine, or full of desire…

“Wanna get out of here?” were Sora’s next words.

“Are you sure?”

Did he have to be so considerate? As though he saw right through her and knew that she wasn’t normally this forward to someone she had barely met? Sora couldn’t read his expression, but she felt his hands slowly running up her arms which told her that he wasn’t expecting her to say otherwise. He must have figured by then, and she knew it, too - that she ended up caught in his game after all, and she decided that she had nothing to lose.

“I’m positive.” 

His lips curled into a devilish smile.

“Your place or mine?” he asked.

Sora thought of the boxes surrounding her bed at her place. “Yours.”

~*~*~*~*~

* * *

~*~*~*~*~

Taichi kissed her before he unlocked the door to his apartment. 

They had already been arm-in-arm on the way there, and the way they talked and laughed together made it feel to her like they've been friends for years. But getting along with him - maybe that was what made it so easy to care less and want more.

And the way he kissed certainly was no different. His lips were soft against hers as he moved them slowly, but he pulled away just as Sora leaned forward. She knew she was caught in his grasp with his hand massaging the back of her neck, and her eyes locked into his gaze as he tempted her to make the next move. With a slow breath, she kissed him back, deepening her kiss while she ran her hands down his chest.

Sora felt his fingers run into her hair, releasing chills down her spine. She heard the click of the door, then noticed Taichi's free hand move to her waist and pulled her to move. When she opened her eyes, she saw that they were walking through the front door without breaking off the kiss. He might've done this move many times, but it was something she wasn't sure she could follow. 

"Taichi?" she called before his lips met hers again. 

"It's okay," he said between a kiss, and it was as though he knew her concern. "Follow my lead."

Taichi wouldn't have understood unless Sora stumbled over him, something she couldn't let happen, or else she'd ruin the moment. She stopped him, placing her hand on his cheek to grab his attention. 

"I'm… I'm afraid I might trip over something."

"I've got a clean floor. It's nothing you need to worry about."

"If you knew me, you'd know that I could trip over my own toes."

He paused and looked as though he thought for a moment.

Did she ruin the moment anyway?

"Okay, then," he said.

Sora then let out a squeal as she was lifted up, her feet hovering above ground. She flailed her arms before wrapping them around his neck as he carried her through his hallway. After a few moments floating in the dark, she felt herself being set down on soft padding, and Taichi took his hand from her bottom, but kept the other around her waist.

“You’re okay now,” he said, which brought her to open her eyes to see that she had been set down on his bed, and Taichi was laughing. Her heart was pounding from the sudden moment of panic.

“A little warning would have been nice!” she said with a scowl. Her arms were still around his neck, but she watched as Taichi glowered at her reaction.

“Come on, it’s better than kissing the floor, right? We were making our way here, anyway. I didn’t know what else to think.”

That made Sora burst into laughter. Although she didn’t expect to become irritated that night, she didn’t expect to yell at her potential lover in that way. She wasn’t surprised by his defensive response, but she didn’t think his guilty expression would make him so charming.

“I don’t know if I’ll ever forgive you.” Sora kicked off her shoes and pulled him by his shoulders for him to join her on his bed. She could tell that he was confused by her change in reaction, but she figured he would forget once she brought his lips for her to kiss, continuing where they left off.

He moved closer to her with his lips kissing back as he held her waist. He was quick to shift back into play, moving his hands around her back, then grasped at her sides with his fingers slipping underneath her shirt. She broke off his kiss and stared into his eyes, taking note of his smile of mischief dancing on his lips. With a smile back, she took her shirt and her jeans, throwing them both away from her. Then, she placed her hands over his to lead them onto the flat of her stomach, setting them free to explore her.

A soft laugh escaped her as his lips tickled her neck. She unbuttoned his dress shirt to get a feel for his muscled chest which was more ravishing than she imagined. There was more that she wanted to feel, more that her hands were desperate to touch. As she unfastened his jeans, she gasped at a sharp sensation that disappeared as quickly as it came, right at her neck where Taichi continued to nibble.

Sora's voice sounded more breathless than she wanted with her body going weak at the feel of his hands gliding against her skin. His lips brushed across the lace of her bra, and his fingers trailed along her chest before moving them away; then, he lifted his head up to her for their lips to reconnect.

Taichi took off his shirt, attracting Sora's hands around his back and drawing her closer to him like a magnet. She couldn't help her kisses with him growing more intense, being caught in his deepening kisses in return, his tongue sneaking into her mouth. Her hands ran wild entangling in his luscious hair, running circles around his rippled abs, trailing down beneath his jeans to feel him hard.

She had already known that the one drink wasn't going to satisfy her thirst, but she desperately wanted to make sure that she could satisfy his. 

Sora let out another gasp, this time as she felt a light snap behind her. Taichi's hands slid along her arms, her bra slipping off with them. She had been so entranced by him to even notice. Before she knew it, her arms were curled around his head as she felt the warmth of his lips against her chest. 

She hated Taichi for teasing her like this. The smirk on his lips that she caught sight of told her that he was so satisfied with himself listening to her enjoying his moves. But she dared to be convinced that she loved him for being this way, with his mouth on her breasts, and now his fingers trailing up her thighs. Spontaneous and carefree - a little dangerous for her taste. He'd be so bold to go even further.

One gentle stroke from him sent a jolt of excitement through her veins. He was bold and he was dangerous, and with his fingers replaced by the tip of his tongue, Sora knew what it was he wanted to taste. She fell back against his bed, her breathing growing heavier, amazed by how he could make her feel _so good._ Her fingers massaged the back of his head as she felt him snake his way deep into her, but she couldn’t help but worry. Did she have enough to give to him to compete with what he had been giving her? There were plenty of other women at the bar way more attractive than she was. Was he just bored of those he had already seen, and did he go for her just because she was ‘new here’?

Was she any different for choosing him?

Sora moaned as his tongue found her weak spot. Taichi lingered there no holds barred, with her tension building, her heat already rising, higher and faster and deeper until a wave of ecstasy crashed through her hips bucking along the ride. That was when she decided then and there to stop worrying about the little things that Taichi might be thinking, to let her mind go blank, and for him to go wild.

And for her to go even wilder. 

Taichi climbed over her on the bed just as she sat up. “Have you forgiven me, yet?” Taichi asked, and Sora responded by grabbing his shoulders to kiss his lips in earnest, helplessly moaning at his touch. Then, she rolled him over and pinned him against the bed, a smile curling at her lips as he stared back in surprise.

“I don’t forgive that easily; besides, I have yet to punish you,” she said, followed by another sensual kiss. Her hands slid down his chest, and further down his already unbuttoned jeans. She noticed his breath hitch a little as her palm slipped between his thighs. “You don’t need to be so tense,” she added, pushing against the hardness underneath his boxers. “Just relax...Taichi...”

Sora uttered his name in a soft whisper in his ear, and she noticed the goosebumps forming on his neck. She pressed her lips on his ear, then kissed his mouth once again with him being receptive to her tongue, all while her hand continued to massage him. They both kept their eyes open, her fierce gaze on his stare that urged her to keep going. Laughter hummed in her throat as she climbed her way down, letting his boxers slip away with her to be able to return him the favor.

As she licked her lips, she lowered herself and went down on him, a taste she could hardly wait for, and what she began to savor slowly and gently. She listened to Taichi groan as she moved her lips and her tongue. Pure lust washed over her the heavier he sounded as she felt his pulse quickening the faster she moved.

Sora knew what was coming next, and she lifted herself up, just as it was his turn to ride his wave. She lay next to him as she panted along with him, both of their hearts pounding. Her hand rested on his chest on instinct; even as she wanted to care less when she fooled around, somehow as they caught their breath, the thought crossed her mind to check if he needed to take a break, or if he wanted them to stop all together.

“I want you,” Taichi exhaled.

Who was she kidding?

He rolled toward her, grabbing either side of her face to kiss her. Their kisses were quicker, fiercer, satiating. Sora pushed herself against his chest as their lips joined and parted, and Taichi pushed back, running his hands down her back and giving her a squeeze.

She had to laugh between their kisses, knowing that they were fighting for who would be the first to go on top. He laughed with her and held her close to slow down the last kiss, deepening and intensifying her hunger for him.

It got her to lay against her back. She sighed with a small smile and a sigh of slight contempt as he lifted her legs up and back. It astounded her to see him flash a smile back that irritated her and aroused her at the same time. 

Slowly, he pushed in, making her draw a sharp breath. He leaned forward, staring deep into her eyes the moment he began to thrust, and Sora fell out of her mind and into his trance, ready to ride the wave and drown herself in lustful nirvana with him again and again and again.

~*~*~*~*~

* * *

~*~*~*~*~

Sora’s eyes flew open in the darkness. She had a moment of panic as she thought she would wake up to a sunlit sky at the window, which would have meant she was going to be late on her first day of her new job.

It relieved her to still see a darkened window, but she knew that she was still in a place she didn’t belong. She needed to get back to her apartment and wash herself of her dirty deeds from the night before.

Taichi stirred beside her the moment she slid his arm away from her waist.

“Leaving already?” he asked groggily.

“I have to take the train back to my place,” Sora replied, sitting on the edge of the bed with half of her naked body covered by the blanket shared between them. “Gotta make a good impression to my boss on the first day.”

“Are you insane? Sora, do you realize it’s only 3 in the morning? The first train doesn’t run for another two hours.”

“Yeah, but, I just…”

She thought it might have been too cheesy to say aloud, what they both had already known from the beginning. Once she left this apartment, she didn’t expect she would ever see him again, and she assumed that he thought the same way. She didn’t plan on going to that bar again anytime soon, or doing something like this with another. Perhaps she saw that night not to celebrate her new life, but to bid goodbye to her old one. Drink it away and release all her frustrations before truly starting anew.

The sooner she set foot out of Taichi’s apartment, the better.

“You really don’t have anywhere else to go, right?” Taichi traced circles over the back of her hand. Sora turned to him to see that he appeared awake, and a smile crept onto his lips.

“You’re not being fair.”

He was tempting her to stay, and her will to fight it weakened the longer she stared.

“Come here.”

“Damn you,” she said, a smile forming on her own lips as she crawled back into bed, sliding closer and closer until their lips joined, the touch of his skin on hers igniting her once more.

~*~*~*~*~

* * *

~*~*~*~*~

Sora was able to make it to work on time.

But it was just barely. Even if she couldn’t resist him, it was Taichi’s fault for keeping her distracted for a while longer. She shrieked as soon as she saw her phone screen read ‘5:15 am’. Taichi had apologized and offered for her to use his shower, but Sora had known better by that point. Whatever his day job was, he was lucky that he was able to go to work at a later time.

She arrived to work five minutes before her start time, stumbling through the office doors hoping that no one noticed.

A few dozen heads were already turned to her. She stood up straight and straightened the front of her skirt, smiling nervously at the stern staff person that was about to lead her down the hallway.

“I’ll be showing you around the office for you to familiarize yourself,” the staff person said, wearing a similar style blouse and pencil skirt as she did.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“The manager you’ll be working with is scheduled to come in in an hour - also new to this office. The other assistants are in the conference room. You can introduce yourself and get acquainted.”

Sora had replied with a ‘Yes, ma’am’ after the first few sentences until she felt like she was repeating herself. She walked into the conference room, bowing with her introduction to her fellow assistants. She then continued to follow the stern employee around, who had later introduced herself as the head office assistant, passing by the copy and print machines and the break room. They even walked along with the row of managers’ offices, a blank nameplate at the door of the manager whom she was meant to work with.

This job seemed easy enough: Bring coffee to the managers, keep the client files organized, print and copy documents, among other mundane tasks that Sora cared less about. It was the first job she was able to grab away from Odaiba. For now, that would have to do.

The head assistant allowed her to take a break, and she wandered into the breakroom, finding the other assistants giggling in hushed voices. They didn’t stop even as Sora approached them.

“Didn’t you hear, Sora? Your manager’s a real hottie,” said one of them.

“Is he, really?” Sora replied, although she didn’t want to think much of it.

“Wait until you see him,” said another. “We had a meeting last week and he sat in with us. He’s young and way better looking than the other bosses.”

“You don’t look too interested, Sora,” added the third. “You’ll change your mind once you see him. Man, I just want to run my hands in his hair - you never see guys wear their hair that way anymore!”

“Stop! Someone will hear you!”

Sora turned to stare at the assistants giggling feverishly. _No way,_ she thought, highly doubting her own thoughts. _T_ _here are plenty of other men out there with that kind of hair style..._

“And he played soccer in Odaiba - no wonder he looks _so hot_.”

_No way. No. Way._

“What was his name again? Ya...mi…?”

 _“Yagami,”_ Sora said shakily, her voice soft but loud enough for the assistants to turn their heads to her.

“Takenouchi!” the head office assistant called in the breakroom, making everyone jump, with Sora possibly being the hardest. “Yagami-san has just arrived.”

To Sora, walking down the hallway felt as though she was walking to her death. She thought that being in denial would help ease her anxiety:

_There are other Yagamis in Odaiba that used to play soccer._

_Yagami is totally a common name._

_His name isn’t really Taichi Yagami._

Sora knew she had to admit she was failing miserably at her denial, and that she was doing it in vain. She approached the office once again and stopped right by the door, this time the nameplate with his name that cemented the confirmation she had feared.

“Yagami-san, your assistant is here,” the head assistant announced. Time slowed in her anticipation of his appearance, his leather boot stepping out first, followed by his fluffy brown hair. Her eyes grew wide in horror as he appeared before her in a suit, and his brown eyes met hers.

“I’ll leave you both to it,” said the assistant with her tone unchanged, and she walked away as though she took no notice of the deadly silence that fell behind her trail.

Taichi was frozen in front of Sora, staring at her in shock. She couldn’t open her mouth to say something, let alone utter a single word. How neither them knew this was going to happen was baffling to her.

It seemed like hours before Sora heard hushed whispers that rang familiar to her ears. That was when she realized that there were others staring at them, and that she had to act quickly before anyone got an ounce of suspicion about the two of them.

They _both_ had to act quickly.

“So, you’re the manager I’ll be working with,” said Sora in an unnaturally higher voice.

“Uh- That’s right,” Taichi replied. Sora heard the hint of panic in his voice and she gave him a hard stare. He stared back with a look of confusion as she tried to motion at his hand with her eyes.

Thankfully, it didn’t take him too long to understand, although it was longer than Sora wanted. He lifted his hand toward her and flashed a smile.

“Taichi Yagami.”

Sora smiled back and raised her hand to shake his. “Sora Takenouchi.”

She drew her hand back first, the roughness of his fingers lingering in her thoughts.

The hushed voices and giggles faded behind them, but out of caution, Sora continued with the act. “I look forward to working with you,” she added politely with a bow. Then she turned around to set off in the other direction, but she twisted her foot too quickly and she was stumbling for the second time that day.

No one was staring at her this time. No one except Taichi who had broken her fall.

What were the chances that she’d be in his arms once again, face to face, so close to his lips, her heart racing at his touch?

“Same here,” was all he said before he helped her straighten herself up. No one else saw it but her, the same devilish smile he gave her the night before. She waited until he entered his office and shut the door behind him so that she could set off in the other direction, cautiously this time.

_Spontaneous and carefree - a little dangerous for her taste..._

She approached the assistants again, all of them huddling around her excitedly and she held her hands up with nervous laughter in hopes to temper their enthusiasm. But no one saw her, either, not even the assistants before she approached them - the curl of her lips from knowing that she was looking forward to living a little dangerously for a while.


	2. Make It A Double

During the first week at her new job, Sora did her best to limit her visits to her manager's office as much as possible. She went in only when she was called for or when she needed to be; otherwise, she remained at her desk to focus on her work.

It was her best distraction from Taichi. She addressed him by his surname, as an assistant would to her superior, and they kept their dynamic as normal as they could.

When she showed up at his office door to drop off some copies one morning, he had her wait by the door so she didn't have to walk over to his desk.

"I know you've got a lot of work to do, Sora," he said with a smile. "I'll take these off your hands. You're the best."

Even with a few seconds of his smile was enough to take her breath away. The flash of the moment caught with the thought of his hands enclosing her waist - it felt wrong to imagine as she stepped back into the corridor. She walked away from his office and back to her desk, and she was glad that no one could see her heart skipping a beat.

Sora avoided confronting Taichi, just as she avoided confronting the other things in her life. During the first few nights coming back to her apartment, she greeted the friendly neighbor she passed on the way. When she arrived, she spent her time reading a book, streaming a show or a movie, fitting a workout in - all while ignoring the notifications of texts and missed calls from people she didn't want to talk to.

She finally decided to go through those notifications on Wednesday evening. Her father had left her a voicemail telling her to call home whenever she could. Sora knew that he just wanted to check on her, but she also knew that her mother had disapproved of her decision to move away in the first place.

Sora deleted a message from her ex-boyfriend. _"Do you have time to talk?"_ it read. With the breakup still fresh and stinging on her mind, Sora didn't want to have anything to do with him.

Why did she still have his name in her contacts? She could have sworn she deleted his name, and she scrolled the list on her phone to make sure his name vanished from existence.

As she swiped through her contacts, she stopped at one name, _Taichi Yagami._ They had exchanged contact information on day one of working together, as a courtesy for, "in case you need anything." Her thoughts lingered as she stared at that name. She was sure that they both knew what she really needed had she called him at that moment…

A new message popup appeared; one of a few from the same person.

" _Are you really going to avoid me then? :("_

Without acknowledging the blatant guilt trip, ignoring her best friend's handful of text messages for the last week and a half made her feel the most guilty. After letting out a sigh, Sora finally decided to break the silence from her.

"Sora? My love? It's so good to finally hear your voice!"

"Hey, Meems," Sora replied, leaning back against her couch.

"I'm so, so happy!...I'm also really offended."

"Yeah, I know… I'm sorry."

"You promised you were going to call me."

"Well, I did say that, but I also said I was going to need some time. Technically, I did keep my promise."

Sora played with a few strands of her hair, listening to Mimi grumble on the other end.

"So, when are you moving back to Odaiba?" Mimi asked suddenly.

"Mimi! I'm not moving back."

Mimi sighed. "I tried. It really sucks without you nearby."

"You have your boyfriend to hang out with."

"It's not the same! He doesn't understand my love for gossip like you do!"

Knowing Mimi's boyfriend, Sora had to laugh at that. But Mimi fell silent for a moment, and Sora knew that she was going to ask the next question.

"How are you though, Sora? About the breakup? Everything that happened."

"I'm fine, Mimi."

"Bullshit! I don't believe you. You can't be fine, not after he ended things the way he did. I mean, _I'm_ not fine."

"You tend to get more emotional about my personal trauma than I do."

"So what if that's true?! You were in love! And he ended things and ripped your heart out.."

Mimi always saw right through her, especially when she tried to hide her emotions. This time was no exception. Sora just didn't feel like the ex was worth talking about at that moment, or maybe ever.

"I'm better now, though. Really," said Sora, thinking about the text that she deleted right before Mimi's call. "Moving away was perfect for the space I needed."

"Well, as long as this is helping you, Sora. A girl's gotta do what she needs to. Just don't forget to keep in touch and maybe visit each other when we get the chance. Promise?"

"I promise, Mimi."

"And forget about him, Sora. Guys aren't worth your time right now, so this could be a chance for you to have fun and enjoy yourself in your own way."

"Right…"

Sora wasn't sure how Mimi would react if she told her about Taichi. She decided to keep quiet about it from Mimi at least until she confronted him about it. Which she wasn't looking forward to.

"Ooh, I know!" Mimi exclaimed. "Go to a bar! I wish I could go with you, but I know how you like your drinks. You always go for one. Why not make it a double when you do?"

She'd have to tell Mimi later that she did go to a bar for one drink. She just hadn't decided yet whether she'd go for a double at the next chance.

~*~*~*~*~

* * *

~*~*~*~*~

By the end of the first work week, Sora didn't realize how much work she would already have to do.

Her desk was in a cubicle among a few rows where the other assistants sat. She had set her purse in her desk drawer the moment she had arrived on the first day, but after the tour and being introduced to the rest of the department, she returned to a large stack of files on top of her desk.

It was the work that was inherited from the previous manager who was no longer with the company, as the head assistant had explained to her. She had already walked away when Sora turned to ask why, and the other assistants were busy furiously typing away at their keyboards for her to ask them. The only choice for Sora at that moment was to organize the stack; figure out which documents to file away, to type up and save in the database, or to shred and toss out.

She did this alongside doing other typical administrative work throughout the days - screening phone calls and scheduling meetings, along with scanning documents and printing out copies for her manager, among other things. Being able to multitask was no easy feat. But even as the stack of papers seemed to refuse to shrink by 5pm on Friday, figuring everything out in her job remained the least of her worries.

As Sora walked down the corridor with the other assistants, she slowed to a stop when she approached the door to her manager's office. It was now or never.

The others wished her a good weekend, and she leaned to the side of the doorframe and peered into the office in which the door was wide open. She saw that her manager wasn't sitting at his desk; rather, he appeared to be leaning down behind the computer monitor, based on the tips of his messy brown hair sticking out at the table top.

Sora adjusted the strap of her purse on her shoulder and took a deep breath, knowing that they needed to have this conversation that she had been waiting to bring up.

"Yagami-san?" she said to announce her presence.

"Is that you, Sora?" he asked. "Come on in."

"You look occupied."

"Hang on."

She heard what sounded like the shuffling of papers as she stepped into his office. A few moments later, when he finally rose from behind his desk, he brought up a cluttered pile of documents with him and dropped them on top of his desk.

Sora raised her brows. "That…looks like more work for me next Monday morning."

"Yeah…" He seemed nervous as he chuckled and scratched the back of his head. "The last boss seemed to have quite the abrupt departure at the busiest time."

She stopped herself from asking why the last manager had gone, and why her own manager didn't bring up this new pile for her sooner. Neither of those questions seemed fitting in her place to ask.

"Well, it's not a problem," she replied instead. "I'll just add it to my stack when I come back next week."

Her words didn't remove the apologetic expression on his face. "Sorry about that."

"It's my job after all, Yagami-san. Don't worry - I can handle it."

He stared at her for a few moments, his brown eyes glinting, and she watched his lips curl upward on one side.

"I knew I was going to like you," he said.

Sora's cheeks tingled as she stared back, and then shifted her eyes elsewhere. She didn't know whether to laugh or say something, because she knew she would embarrass herself in her fluster.

"Anyway, Sora, you wanted to see me?" he continued, standing from his desk chair.

"Yes, I- Well…"

Her cheeks must have been getting redder at every moment. From the time she was formally introduced to him on Monday morning, she had been brainstorming her conversation with him, figuring out the right words to say within the professional environment that she unexpectedly wound up in with him.

Their actual introduction beforehand was far from formal, after all.

As he stepped closer to her, five days' worth of word yoyo of a brainstorm melted away, one by one. All she could do was close the office door behind her, so that the two of them could have this conversation without anyone else to hear.

"Listen… I really didn't think I'd see you again after Monday morning," Sora said, feeling the heaviness of the words as she spoke them.

"Ouch - way to bust my ego, Sora."

She gave him a hard stare. "You know what I mean."

"Okay, okay… It is pretty wild that this happened. _Really_ wild."

"Doesn't this concern you at all?" Sora took a step toward him. "This is a new thing for both of us. I'm just starting out, and I heard you'd just got promoted into this position. If anyone found anything out about-"

"Whoa, hold on." He stepped forward with interjection. "You're right. We're both new here. That's all that anyone knows about you so far. And about me. I'd be an idiot to talk about it, and I know you're smart enough to keep it quiet."

Sora could see the honesty in his eyes, even though she still knew that they both had to be cautious.

"I know how gossip can spread like wildfire around within a close group of people," she said. "I'd hate to have something like what happened ruin either of us."

His smile returned, and he placed his hands on either of her shoulders. "Look, what's done is done. It's been a week. I could tell those other assistants can be pretty chatty, but I don't think anyone suspects anything."

Sora thought about it. The other assistants stared in her direction whenever he sauntered over to her desk with a few documents to deal with, but their staring always followed with hushed voices and giggles about him. It was no secret that he had quickly become everyone's office crush.

It seemed as though he was waiting for her to smile back. She felt comforted by the kindness in his eyes and appreciated the effect on her, but as she realized that she was just being paranoid, she let out a sigh and started laughing out of embarrassment.

"I guess you're right, Yagami-san."

"You can call me 'Taichi', Sora."

She furrowed her brows. "You're my superior. I'm addressing you formally out of respect."

"Then, I guess where your hands are would be for the same reason?"

Her palms were on the front of his shirt. Even under an extra shirt layer she could feel his toned ab muscles from the way she moved her hands. She didn't realize that the warmth she had been feeling came from his hands slowly running up and down her arms.

Sora didn't expect to be this close to him again, and yet, there he was, drawing closer. Forget her mind, her heart beat that race, and she leaned forward, ready to accept the feel of his lips once again.

Except…

"How do we know there isn't camera surveillance in here?" she whispered.

"We don't." he whispered back without a moment's thought.

Sora turned her head just as his lips were inches away from hers. Her trance was broken. She detached herself and turned her back from him, the force of her purse swinging nearly knocking off of her shoulder. The paranoia had never left her mind, even as her heart pounded against her chest. She could tell by his recklessness that he dared to play with danger.

He almost tempted her to play along.

"You might be good at hiding this from everyone else, but you're still an idiot," she said hotly, fixing her purse and flattening her hair, as though she wanted to air out the heat from her face. "I should head home, then."

When she turned to look back at him, she noticed him relax his shoulders and sigh. "Then, I should head out too," he said.

"Great. I guess I'll see you on Monday."

There was an odd moment of silence when she turned toward the door. Odd to Sora, because he didn't respond to her parting at all - not even with the typical repeat response that one would normally say when workers left the place of work. Odd, because of the disappointment she felt thinking that he would let her leave without saying anything else to her.

But just as her hand reached the door knob, Taichi finally spoke.

"Got any plans for the weekend?" he asked.

Sora didn't budge, but she couldn't help but smile.

"I've been telling you all week, so you should know by now, Yagami-san. I'll be busy exploring more of the city. I've just moved here, after all."

Keeping up with their small talk was one thing Sora forgot to take into consideration. It was one thing that was natural to do with him, despite the fact that he seemed to get along with everyone he met with, whether it was his fellow managers at his level or their respective assistants at Sora's. She wasn't sure whether she should feel lucky or worried that he was able to play it cool.

"Hey, lemme ask you something," he said as he walked back to his desk to close the drawers. "Just a hypothetical. Say, you're at a bar, maybe at the end of the day after exploring during the weekend, or maybe... tonight after work."

At that moment, he was playing it a little too cool. Sora knew exactly where this conversation was headed.

"I'd rather not talk about this with my boss," she teased, deciding to play along.

"Ah, I said, 'hypothetical'. You meet someone…" Taichi began to walk away from his desk and make his way toward her. "You talk to each other. He offers you a drink. Would you accept it this time?"

The look in his eyes was different from moments before. He kept his hands at his sides, and Sora looked up at him while he watched her, as though he dared her to answer him back.

"I'd have to decline."

She noticed his brows twitch, his gaze showing intrigue. Resisting the urge to draw closer to him, she kept one hand on her purse, and the other pulling the door knob.

"Why's that?" he asked.

"Hypothetically, I'd rather we skip the drink."

Sora made sure that his eyes were locked on hers until the door closed between them. She continued her walk down the corridor with a straight face, knowing she wouldn't be back in the office until Monday, just as she told Taichi.

But she also knew where she was headed later that evening, and that Taichi's conversation was anything but hypothetical.

~*~*~*~*~

* * *

~*~*~*~*~

Leaving the office building first allowed Sora enough time to take the train to her apartment and freshen up, then for her to head over to Taichi's place by the time he arrived.

When Taichi answered the door, he was still in his work attire but partly dressed down, with his tie loosened and hanging around his neck, his dress shirt untucked and unbuttoned, and his tamed hair about to be disheveled by her hands.

"Hey," he said.

"Hey," she replied, helplessly lurching forward before her lips crashed into his. She grabbed onto his shoulders as he cupped her cheeks with his hands to keep up with her deep, fiery kisses.

Taichi broke off the kiss, breathing out a soft, "wow" as he exhaled, his chocolate eyes boring deep into hers.

"You sure you don't want something to drink?" he asked with a tinge of a smirk.

"You really are an idiot," Sora replied, curling her own lips into a smile and enticing him with another kiss. Her eyes then caught the couch a few feet away from them, and she knew where she wanted to go next. She trailed her hand on his chest and down the seam of his tie, then she grabbed the tip to lead him after her.

"Didn't want to make it to the bed?" he asked as she led him to take a seat on the couch cushion.

She threw one leg over facing him and kneeled to sit on his lap, and she rested her hands on his shoulders. "This was a shorter trip from the door."

"Ohh, I get it. You didn't want to _trip_ in front of me again."

"That's not what this is about."

"I'm pretty sure it's what this is about."

Sora was suddenly riled up by his accusation, taking offense to his amused expression.

"It is not!"

"Is too."

"It's so no-"

His abrupt kiss cut her off her continued protest. It wasn't forceful; he craned his neck and moved upward to kiss her so smoothly that it got her to stop talking. His hands had slid up and down the sides of her hips and around her backside, and she kissed him back forgetting her own argument.

Taichi was right; it was about the tripping. Only after one work week and she had already counted three times she had done so, each time in front of him. How embarrassing that she was so clumsy in front of her boss in an office setting? And the thought of her tripping in front of him at that moment made her feel the complete opposite of sexy.

"You worry a lot, you know?" he mumbled between his slow kisses.

Sora could barely hum in response, her lips not answering his question but moving against his to savor. He pulled away just as she drew forward, bringing her eyes up to stare into his.

"I don't think you have to worry when I'm around," he said.

"Why do you say that?"

"I'll always be there to catch you."

Sora kissed him again, falling into the charm of his words and his smile. Then, she threw off her blouse and unclipped her bra. She laughed softly as she met Taichi's lips, with her tongue playing against his. She helped him remove his tie, and his shirts for both of them to be half-naked with their hands ready to explore each other.

Her hands moved circles against his skin of his toned abs that she finally got to feel, and his hands moved around her waist, trailing toward her chest but going away as though it was intentional. Then, she pushed her chest against his, tilting her head back to feel the warmth of his lips against her neck. Her fingers dug into his hair, massaging his scalp as he massaged her chest. She moaned softly, the pressure she had been feeling beneath her skirt rising.

Sora admitted to herself how much she enjoyed this pleasure. There was nothing better than being free and careless with a man who somehow made her feel sexy. And as she began to rock her hips on his lap, she heard a groan from Taichi below her, his tongue on her chest making her moan his name even more.

Gawd, he was even sexier.

Sora knew that she already ruined her panties as she rubbed against him, picking up the pace as his moans along with hers graced her ears.

Taichi lifted his head up, hungrily kissing her lips that she desperately kissed him back with. Their tongues played as their lips joined together as though they could never get enough. Sora moved to unbuckle his belt in the meantime, getting up only to lower his pants and his briefs from his legs. She undressed her skirt as he kicked his pants off before she straddled him once again.

And when he entered her, she began her slow rock. His hands grasped at her hips, her hands holding onto his arms, their gaze transfixed on each other. Sora was in ecstasy, indulging in the moment while she moved back and forth along with him. She didn't want to think about what a strange time she'd had since moving into a new town, and her thoughts about having to see Taichi every day.

And feeling him quickening his thrust underneath her, she thought that never in her wildest dreams that she would be feeling him again.

"Oh, Taichi…" she cried, hearing him groan as their bodies moved in sync. Her heart ignited as he uttered her name back, the sound of his name from her lips getting louder, their motions going faster and faster until they both reached their peak. She fell against his chest, panting as her heartbeat thumped in hers, and feeling his against her ear. The pure bliss was never ending, even during the quiet moment listening to each other catch their breaths. Sora lifted herself up, and crawled to meet his lips for another kiss. When Taichi kissed back, slow and sensual, Sora knew as she looked into his eyes that the night was far from over.

Before she knew it, Sora lay flat on her back on the couch. Taichi hovered above her, his eyes on her, his lips nibbling at her neck as she gasped when he entered her again.

~*~*~*~*~

* * *

~*~*~*~*~

Sora woke up from the glare of the sunlight piercing through the blinds of Taichi's bedroom. She lay in his bed next to him, where he lay on his side toward her, sleeping peacefully.

She fought the urge to kiss him. The two of them wasted no time doing that the night before. But she also fought the urge to edge close enough to cuddle, to trace her fingers on his cheek, to run her hand through his hair. She learned her lesson in emotional attachment the hard way.

It was a few moments of her staring at the ceiling until Taichi had woken up.

"Morning," Taichi said with a yawn.

"Morning."

"How long have you been up?"

"...Not long."

"Hmm."

When Sora turned to look at him, he had closed his eyes, as though returning to his slumber.

He didn't seem to have a care in the world. She was glad it was the weekend, but she wondered how it was going to be between them come Monday morning.

"What's up?"

Sora realized his eyes were open, and he was staring at her in his sleepy curiosity.

"Nothing, Taichi," she said.

He chuckled but said nothing else as he continued to stare.

"I should go." Sora rolled herself to have her back facing him, then she got up, only to realize her clothes were scattered in the other room.

"Don't you want breakfast? I'll make you pancakes and eggs."

Sora opened her mouth to refuse, but the growl of her stomach told her otherwise.

"I guess it would be impolite to say no," she said with a blush.

Without hesitating, Taichi handed her some clean clothes for her to borrow.

"I don't have women's clothes here, sorry," he said. "I'm not sure what kind of impression I'd be giving you if I did."

"I think we're way past impressions at this point, Taichi," Sora replied, reluctantly putting them on.

Having breakfast with Taichi wasn't as daunting as Sora made it out to be. Luckily for her, Taichi kept it casual, making it easy for Sora to talk to him.

"So, what are your _real_ plans this weekend, Sora?" Taichi asked as they ate breakfast together.

"If you really want to know, I was going to walk down the row of shops a few blocks from that bar," Sora said. "There's a kimono shop that I've been wanting to check out."

"Kimonos? Any special occasion coming up?"

"Not at all. I've been interested in their designs and wanted to see what was out there."

"Oh? You must be into fashion."

"Yeah, it's been my dream for a while now."

"That's actually awesome, Sora."

Sora felt bashful talking about it. She had been used to hearing her mother going against her dream. Hearing Taichi's comment felt strange.

She wasn't sure if she was also feeling bashful after revealing something personal to him.

"Me, I'm fine where I am now," Taichi went on. "I want to work my way up for a bigger salary, but I love working with people."

"You do seem like that kind of person, Taichi. No wonder everyone likes you."

"It's a wonder, isn't it?"

They shared a smile, and Sora saw that he was genuine here, no hint of persuasion or mischief. She still couldn't help but wonder why, given the circumstances, that she was still in his apartment.

"...Taichi," Sora began as her smile faded. "You don't think this is weird, do you?"

"What is?"

"You and me. Us. Together like this."

"You mean, eating together?"

"Not that. I mean fooling around."

Taichi nodded as though he caught her drift. "Oh, you mean _eating_ each other out. Fucking."

Sora glared at his nonchalant expression. "Taichi, I'm being serious."

"So am I."

After a long pause, they both broke into laughter.

"I don't think it's weird, Sora," he finally answered when the laughter died down.

They stayed quiet after that as they cleared their plates. Taichi made her stay in her chair as he picked up the plates and utensils from the table.

"Look, I just want to be clear, Taichi," Sora said as he walked to drop the dishes into the sink. "I'm not looking for anything serious right now. I don't want to know about your history and you don't need to worry about mine."

"Well, then we should be on the same page."

Sora got up from her seat and walked over to him and stared at him, wanting to make sure that they truly were.

"And we absolutely cannot show this at work. At all. Not even in your own office. I don't want either of us being the center of gossip about this, or worse - for either of us to get fired."

Taichi kept his face straight. "Okay. Again, I understand. But, I will still not be okay with this unless you call me 'Taichi' at work."

"Absolutely not."

"Sora."

She crossed her arms. "Request denied."

"Apparently, I'm not the boss in this situation…" he muttered. "Fine. This will just be between us. No one at work will ever know."

"Shake on it?" Sora held out her hand.

"Denied."

Sora's face fell. "What?"

"You do realize that we are now more than just 'business' with each other, right?"

Here came the mischievous smile that Sora had grown familiar with.

"Alright, then…" Sora took her finger to his chin, leading him towards her to kiss his lips, long and hard. "How's that? Deal?"

"That's more like it. Deal."

Sora walked out of Taichi's apartment, her hair tied in a ponytail. She wore a plaid long sleeve shirt and baggy jeans as she carried her folded office wear in her arms. Taichi's shirt size was slightly bigger than hers but it still fit her comfortably; it amused her to be thrown back to her childhood where she would have loved this style even more.

That wasn't to say that she wanted to make it a habit of wearing his clothes whenever she left his place. She knew that Taichi was friendly and considerate, but she didn't want to take advantage of that. At least they had a deal.

This deal was crazy. It was dangerous.

It was exciting.

On her walk toward the train station, Sora took out her phone and dialed Mimi's number. This deal was too much for herself to handle, and she was ready to spill to her best friend about the drink, the double, and the hot mess that she knew that she was letting herself get into.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And, thus, a multi-chapter fic has sprung into existence. I hope you're ready. (Hope I am, too).  
> Let's all agree that this pandemic is terrible. I hope you're all safe and healthy! Thanks for reading, and for supporting me and sticking with my updates. xoxo

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> This was a plot bunny that seemed amusing in my head. I don’t know if I have room for a continuation of this fic. So many things can go wrong in this situation. Will they meet again and keep their external affairs quiet? Will they get caught? More importantly, will they end up together?! I'd love to know if you want me to explore this a little more.
> 
> Was honestly going to post this on my other pen name (SkyTunes - mind the Taiorato ;P) but I decided to keep it here on my og name.
> 
> This was a nice break from writing my other fics (right now, it’s DoreDore) and I want to make sure I have enough chapters written before I start posting that again. Quarantine… just sucks.
> 
> Hope you’re all safe and healthy. <3


End file.
